Georgia’s Saakashvili vows changes, says NATO bid ‘dead’ – paper
MOSCOW/TBILISI, July 20 (RIA Novosti) – Georgia’s president is
expected on Monday to unveil power-sharing proposals and a move to
make elections more democratic in a bid to ease opposition protests, a
U.S. paper said citing his speech.
Mikheil Saakashvili, who is due to make the announcement during a
parliamentary address, also called the ex-Soviet Caucasus state’s bid
to join NATO "almost dead," and Tbilisi’s reunification with breakaway
South Ossetia and Abkhazia unlikely any time soon, The Wall Street
Journal reported.
Saakashvili’s address to parliament will come amid months of street
protests by his opponents, who are demanding his resignation following
conflict with Russia last August. Saakashvili is also accused of
growing authoritarianism and failing to pursue democratic reforms.
In his speech, Saakashvili is expected to pledge to set new local
elections, to promise more access to the media for his adversaries and
to offer the opposition seats on some internal decision-making bodies,
the paper said.
The paper quoted the president as saying that after a "psychological
turnaround" he realized his task was to modernize Georgia. He said his
plan was to deepen democracy and ensure a peaceful transition of power
when he steps down in 2013.
Speaking about the failed NATO bid, Saakashvili said: "It’s tragic. It
means the Russians fought for the right reasons."
Georgia has sought to join the alliance since the Western-educated
Saakashvili came to power in 2004. But the bloc put Georgia and
Ukraine’s bids on hold last April, although promising to review the
decision in the future.
Adversaries remain skeptical of the move. "It’s all blah, blah, blah,"
opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze told the paper before he knew
the details of the speech. "He has promised things before and there
have been no results."
The speech comes days before U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to
Georgia and Ukraine amid rising anxiety in both countries about
Washingt
ons with Russia, the paper said.
In Tbilisi, police detained 13 protesters in front of the parliament
building on Monday before Saakashvili was due to arrive, an opposition
leader, Georgy Khaindrava told reporters, adding some of the detained
were injured.
Protesters demanded the release of political prisoners and a ban on a
new law toughening rules for holding rallies. There has been no
confirmation from police.
About 100 opposition activists are reported to still be near
parliament.